Josue 10 - A Total Destruction?, Part II

I'll continue the theme here, that Canaan was not wholly obliterated, that the reality of Israel's destruction of the Canaanites was more nuanced than Biblical detractors would let on.  Was Israel's victory decisive?  Yes.  Were God's dealings with the Canaanites severe?  Yes.  Was every man, woman, and child slaughtered?  No.

And herein lies the simple point.  The Israelites entered the Promised Land as a unique group of people.  They entered a world of polytheistic idol worship.  They had a divine decree with them, that the land was to be a Holy Land, set aside for them.  How else might this situation work out?  The Enlightenment had crossed over the Jordan to extinguish the darkness.  The pagan Canaanites lived lives opposed to Almighty God (and to the nature He created).  If His enlightened chosen ones were to dwell in this land, why would such evils be allowed to endure?  And it was the evils that needed to be slaughtered wholesale, not necessarily the people.  Rahab is the best illustration so far in the Book of Josue of how God deals with one who renounces the evil.  Had only their hearts and minds not been so hardened towards God, the Canaanites would have been spared.  Yet, some were.  We are able to infer throughout these chapters that some Canaanites remained, and there are various interpretations as to why that is.  Some say that a remnant of Canaanites continued on as before, living their pagan lives, so that the Israelites "must suffer tribulation, to prevent the growth of vice" (Haydock commentary).  To eradicate all evil would have been to return the people to the Garden of Eden, which was not to be.  Free will still existed in the Promised Land, and God allowed some Canaanites to continue exercising their free will to act against Him.  This would also provide a constant reminder to the Israelites of how they are not to act, and for some it would be a constant temptation to slip into idol worship, as they had always been prone to do.  Leaving a remnant of Canaanites, in short, would keep the Israelites on their toes.

At any rate, for the rest of Josue 10 we see the rapid annihilation of a large segment of Canaan, mainly to the south and even west towards the Mediterranean Sea.  The kings are executed and the cities laid waste or occupied.  Joshua's army, equipped with divine decree, is quickly setting the stage for a massive takeover.  A pagan land is swiftly becoming a Holy Land.

Josue 9 - A Total Destruction?

The story of the Gabaonites (or Gibeonites) in Josue 9 is an interesting one.  Much is made of the polarizing account of the Israelites' destruction of Canaan by divine command.  It is by all accounts a unique event in Biblical history in terms of the ruthlessness and harshness by which the Israelites are instructed to deal with Canaan.  There is no denying that.  Some see it as necessary for God's promise to be fulfilled and to set an example of the sinfulness of idol worship.  Some see it as unnecessarily cruel.  But upon closer inspection, the "destruction" of Canaan is not so total and absolute.  It is a more nuanced thing.  Certain key victories, such as that at Jericho, were necessary for Israel to be in a secure position and to begin to accumulate power in the region (thus fulfilling Moses' prophecy).  But even though they are instructed to destroy all inhabitants of Canaan, the reality is different.  We've already seen the salvation of Rahab (and others, it is implied as well) because of her help and submission to the One True God.  And now in Josue 9 we see the salvation of the Gabaonites because of their submission to the One God.  And even though the Gabaonites secured their safety through deception, and the Israelites didn't follow exactly God's commands in this matter, the fact remains that God allowed this to happen and saw fit a purpose in it. 

The lesson is that mercy is shown upon those who find the humility to submit.  The other pagan people of Canaan do not wish to submit and do not believe in the omnipotence of the One True God, and therefore their destruction is effected.  They've essentially chosen their own fate, as we all must do.  Amidst the violence and massacre of the Canaanites, God still shows us that a simple act of faith can save the smallest soul.

Josue 8 - Tradition, Part II

In Josue 8 we see the beginnings of the established Jewish religion to come.  A decisive victory over Hai gives Joshua and the Israelites some peace and security for the time being; and they mark the occasion with a ceremony that harkens back to Moses' day.  The pronouncement of blessings and curses from the tops of Mounts Garizim and Hebal is referenced in Deuteronomy 27, and Joshua here fulfills Moses' instructions.  We see the first moments of the Law's permanent establishment.  From here it will be Joshua's duty not only to continue to solidify the Israelites' hold on Canaan militarily, but to establish altars and monuments and the infrastructure necessary for the Mosaic Law to become a national religion, with the goal eventually being the construction of an everlasting Temple to house the Ark and therefore the Law.  Josue 8 makes this eventuality evident.  In their Promised Land, the Israelites can now openly follow the commands of God, quite literally, by shouting blessings and curses from the tops of mountains!  They've come a long way from their days of wandering miserably through the desert.  Traditions can now begin to be established, and these traditions would go on to become powerfully entrenched in this Holy Land.  Moses had words, and he gave those words to Joshua.  Now Joshua turns those words to actions. 

Today is Good Friday.  This and the next three posts will be in honor of the Lenten season, which is quickly drawing to a close.